Reduction of friction between the rails and wheels on cars on street-railroads



(No Model.)

D. A. BOLANDV REDUCTION OF FRICTION BETWEEN THE RAILS AND WHEELS 0N CARS "0N STREET RAILROADS.

No. 317,492. Patented May 12 1885 N. PETERS PhmLllhn-npher. Wahinglm. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DENNIS A. BOLAND, OF ALLEGHENY,PENNSYLVANIA.

REDUCTION OF FRICTION BETWEEN THE RAILS AND WHEELS 0N CARS ON STREET-RAILROADS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 317,492, dated May 12, 1885.

Application filed March 20, 1884. (No model.)

To a whom it may concern: ,7

Be it known that I, DENNrs A. BoLAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Reduction of Friction between the Rails and Wheels on (Jars Running on Street-Railroads, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements for reducing the friction between the rails and wheels on cars running on street-railroads, and in guiding the cars on short curves or where the road branches off from the main track; and it consists in a car-axle, in combination with a wheel which is smaller than the main wheels and which turns loosely on the axle, and rails which have their flanges reversed in relation to each other on the curves.

Figure l is a plan view of a track embodying my invention. Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are details showing the car-axles provided with the loose wheels, and the rails of thetrack in cross section.

0/ represents the rails of the main track where they extend in a straight line, and b the rails which form the curve. The flanges c of the rails are formed on the outer edges on both sides of the track where it runs in a straight line; but slightly in advance of where the curve begins on the outer side of the track the flange of the rail is reversed and runs along the inner edge of the rail, as shown in Fig. 1.

To diminish the friction between the wheels on trucks or cars at short curves of a street railroad, I reverse at the beginning of a curve the position of the outside rails by placing their bolted flat bases at the outside instead of at the inside of the track, as shown at 0, so that when the wheels arrive at the place where this change in the position of rails occurs the flanges of the wheels are transferred to the outside of the flange on the rail, Fig. 3, without joltin g or stopping the car.

On the axles of the cars, at the inside of the wheels running on the track, I place additional wheels E, Figs. 2, 3, and 4, of a lesser diameter, at a distance from the former that, at the place of change in the position of rails, the smaller wheels are on top of the flange of the rail. The difference in the diameters of the wheels is a little less than the height of the flange on the rail, so that the smaller wheels E, running on the rail for the time being, relieve the larger ones on that side from bearing the weight of the car and allowing them to turn without touching the rails. After passing around the curve at D, where the road resumesa straight line, the rails are returned to their former position, with their flanges outward, and the larger wheels thereby restored to their places on top of the flanges on the rails, while the smaller ones, being loose on the axles, remain idle.

When a road abruptly branches off from a main track to turnaround the corner of a street, I make no change in the position of the rails but to prevent the car-wheels from leaving the track I place a fixed guide, G, at the beginning of the curve inside the track, adjoining the bolted portion of the rail, instead of the movable switch now in use. The guide G is somewhat higher than the flange on 'the rails and curved in uniformity with the curve of the road, but does not interfere with the larger wheels on passing oars nor with those on the ear that is to run on the curve. When the car arrives at the curve, the guide G, being higher than the rails, comes in contact with the smaller wheels E, and guides them, while running on the elevated plane, in the new direction. Having passed over the guide, the larger wheels reassume their places on the rails, while the smaller ones become idle. This arrangement, however, holds good only when there is but one line of cars to be turned 011 from a main road at a certain point.

In case that cars following one another on the same track of a street-railroad have to turn off at different streets, I place the guides at various distances from the outside rails, and adjust the smaller wheels on the axles at a distance from the larger to coincide with the guides intended for them, so that at the a rival at a curve where the car has to leave the main track the smaller wheels of that car are made to run on the guide that leads it in the new direction and on no other.

for turning off a car at the first street or turning-point is therefore placed farther from the rails than the guide for a car that leaves the main road further on, and the guide for the The guldeioo second car is farther from the rail than that and the car-axles provided with extra loose 10 for the third. By this disposition of the guides wheels E, substantially as shown. the smaller wheels are prevented from coming In testimony whereof I affix my signature in contact with them at the wrong places. in presence of two witnesses.

Having thus described my invention, I DENNIS A BOLAND clain1 The combination of the rails at, having their Witnesses: flanges on their outer edges, with the rails b, LoUIs MOESER,

one of which has its flange upon its inner edge, T. F. LEHMANN. 

